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Meritocratic Myth

In America solidarity is antithetical to the meritocracy. This is because in a meritocracy it is every person for themselves; Social Darwinism by another name. Solidarity is rarely discussed in public-except when teamwork benefits work activities. For the most part it is the meritocracy which rules our lives and shapes our culture. It is at the behest of the meritocratic elites that solidarity is seen effeminate and wanting to be swaddled.

The fallacy of the meritocracy is evident in the so-called skills gap. Workers who do not possess the right set of skills as deficient; as if they cannot be trained. If they lack the natural skill then it is their problem, so they are useless in the eyes of the meritocracy. For some reason we do not invest in our workforce/wealth creators because it is cheaper to wait for one who does not need training. Let the government pay to train the workers so they can enrich private capital.

If there is any type of organization that represents solidarity, it is a union. Unions bring democracy to the work place-too much democracy for the meritocracy. There is a difference between discussing matters with the boss alone and making demands as a group. Unions make it harder for the meritocracy to play favorites and rule the workplace like a dictator. Mostly, unions are responsible for a vibrant middle class.

Meritocratic elites create problems for the masses and then blame them. Creating divisions and self pity among the masses only strengthens their hand. At some point the threshold will break, and the masses will rise up. We have seen this with mass social movements that have sprung up in recent years. The adage proves true: united we stand, divided we fall.